ABU DHABI // Siham Al Mahmoud’s plight was a cry for help – and Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, the Mother of the Nation, has answered it.
The National reported last week that Mrs Al Mahmoud, 31, who is critically ill with cancer, was trapped in a bureaucratic nightmare.
The young mother was being treated in a hospital that had no cancer facilities. She could not move to one that did because she lost her job and had no health insurance. And her husband’s salary was too low for him to sponsor her residency visa and obtain insurance.
On Monday that nightmare ended thanks to Sheikha Fatima, chairwoman of the General Women’s Union and widow of the founding president, Sheikh Zayed.
Sheikha Fatima gave instructions for Mrs Mahmoud to be moved immediately to Tawam Hospital in Al Ain, and for her treatment to begin.
“Her Highness was only sorry for not having known earlier of such a tragic case,” Sheikha Fatima’s spokeswoman Regine Salamin said.
“The hospital is expecting her and Sheikha Fatima instructed that Siham begin treatment regardless of whether she has insurance or not.
“All expenses and cost of treatment will be covered by Sheikha Fatima.
“What is most important now for Sheikha Fatima is that Siham is treated. As soon as she heard the news she immediately said she would take responsibility for Siham’s case and it didn’t matter whether Siham had residency or insurance. This is a sick woman and mother who needs urgent medical attention. Nothing supersedes that.”
The family were stunned by Sheikha Fatima’s intervention. “I can’t believe that this pain I am in will finally be over. I have a chance at getting better and to take care of my husband and son,” said Mrs Mahmoud.
Her husband, Rabie Al Sayed, 35, said there were no words to describe how happy he was feeling. “I just found out that my wife has a chance to live.
“I can’t thank Sheikha Fatima enough for her generosity. As soon as she found out about us – a poor expat family – through The National, she helped us. This just shows that the Government of the UAE cares about all its residents regardless of nationality and status.”
Mrs Al Mahmoud’s cancer was diagnosed three months ago when she had a growth removed from her neck. Since then she has had tubes attached to her lungs to drain the fluid that accumulates there.
Mrs Al Mahmoud is from Syria and her extended family live in the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan. She is a hairdresser, but lost her job two years ago, and with it her health insurance.
Her husband, from Egypt, is a farm worker, and does not qualify to sponsor her. He could not take her to his home country for treatment because the Egyptian embassy will not issue visas to Syrians.
The Airport Road branch of Al Noor Hospital in Abu Dhabi, where Mrs Al Mahmoud was receiving treatment, provided painkillers and doctors continued to drain her lungs, but the hospital has no specialist oncology department.
Dr Shaker Fares, a thoracic surgeon at Al Noor, said last week they had done all they could. “She needs to be moved to a government hospital immediately where the means are available for more tests and treatment. She has Stage IV cancer and her situation is critical.”
The National received dozens of emails in the past week from concerned readers offering donations and assistance to the family, but there was no solution to the absence of insurance, without which Mrs Al Mahmoud could not be moved.
“We deeply appreciate all the offers but what we really needed was someone to sponsor Siham so I could obtain health insurance and move her to a government hospital,” Mr Al Sayed said.
Many readers also offered to sponsor Mrs Al Mahmoud but Mr Al Sayed was concerned that the process would take time. “My wife was getting closer to death each day.” he said.
The couple’s little boy, Ismail, 3, has been staying with his mother at Al Noor. “Every time I looked at him, I would cry. How could I tell him his mother was dying?” his father said.
Thanks to Sheikha Fatima’s intervention, Mrs Al Mahmoud will now be treated in the oncology unit at Tawam Hospital, which has been the major provider of cancer care in the UAE for more than 30 years.
A new oncology clinic opened in 2009, and Tawam has the only clinical department in the UAE that provides the whole spectrum of cancer treatments.
It has 46 beds in individual rooms, and a state-of-the-art intensive care unit for patients who require a high level of care during chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
During her stay at Al Noor hospital, Mrs Mahmoud had run up a bill of more than Dh100,000. Concerned readers of The National have already paid part of it, and in further good news for the family, the hospital has waived the balance.
“We have had an overwhelming response from the public wanting to fund and sponsor the patient’s treatment,” said Dr Taha Ibrahim, chief executive at the hospital’s Airport Road branch.
“However, we are glad to report that Al Noor Hospitals Group and Daman are willing to cover the outstanding cost of the treatment.”
Mr Al Sayed said he appreciated everything Al Noor had done for his wife.
“They took her in without any health insurance and took only our passports as guarantee. Not once did they ask us for money,” he said.
salnuwais@thenational.ae
